


Imaginary Friend

by The_Cinderninja



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: AU, Danny is a child, Gen, Vlad isn't an asshole in this one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:46:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25679071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Cinderninja/pseuds/The_Cinderninja
Summary: Danny's parents think he has an overactive imagination, but Vlad believes the little boy's imaginary friend is real. After all, he has one too.
Relationships: Danny Fenton & Maddie Fenton, Danny Fenton & Vlad Masters
Comments: 9
Kudos: 185





	Imaginary Friend

Imagination  
Danny Phantom fanfiction  
by The Cinderninja

* * *

The two adults were sitting around the coffee table in the Fenton's living room. Piles of paper lay strewn across the table – manilla folders holding extensive notes, photographs, and power readings of the various ghosts who frequented Amity Park. The rest of the house was still and dark, and the room was illuminated by the soft yellow glow of the standing lamp.

Ever since the Ghost Portal in her basement had mysteriously started working and the spectral activity in Amity had spiked, these late evenings had become a regular thing.

When met with the unexpected success – and equally unexpected repercussions of a working Ghost Portal, Jack had immediately suggest they consult with Vlad Masters, an old friend of the couple. Neither had spoken with him since college, and Maddie had been worried that any interest he'd had in ghosts back in college, would have been greatly diminished if not faded entierly in the intervening years since college. Especially after the accident he had been involved in during their research. As far as Maddie was aware, he had dropped out and moved back in with his parents. It was the last she had heard from him in years.

Hence, she had reluctant to call him and bring up potentially buried old wounds. With Jack's urging though, she was somehow convinced to talk to their old friend. And, much to her surprise, after a phone call that lasted many hours, he had enthusiastically agreed to fly down and visit the family to discuss their research.

As the week came to a close and he was expected to fly back home, he surprised them even more by purchasing a house in the affluent East End of Amity Park as a part time residence.

Since then, these late nights had become a common occurrence in the Fenton household.

"I was thinking about taking an updated reading on Ghost X's power levels – they seem to have gone up since the last time we saw him." Maddie suggested quietly, keeping her voice down so as not to wake her sleeping children.

Vlad nodded as he leafed through her research, as though looking for a specific page. "Why yes! I think that's a _wonder-"_

"Ghost X?" Two sets of eyes snapped up at the young voice, and immediately relaxed when they took in seven year old Danny Fenton, clad in blue pyjamas and bare feet, hauling a red and white stuffed space rocket down the stairs behind himself. His free hand rubbed at his eyes, and both adults had to admit that the sight _was_ in fact adorable.

"Whatcha talkin' 'bout?" he wondered aloud as he wandered into the living room, pulling himself up into his mother's lap. As he dropped his rocket on the floor, he didn't once stop to think that he might get in trouble for being up past his bed time. He knew that when Uncle Vlad was over he could get away with just about anything, as the man doted on him and his sister endlessly.

"Oh, Sweetie. Nothing you'd be interested in." Maddie smiled, mussing his hair with one hand. She lifted the photo of Ghost X in her other hand. Vlad watched all of this in silence, though he couldn't hide the small smile tugging at his lips. Yes, he could get used to this. They all knew Jack was more of an engineer – his designs were somehow, inexplicably, ingenious. Yet when it came to the research and documention, the hypothesis and observation portion of their research, he was lacking. This was left to Maddie, and of course, to Vlad.

"Your Uncle Vlad and I were just talking about getting some newer reading on Ghost X's-"

"Skulker." Danny interrupted quietly. Both adults froze, for entirely different reasons.

"Ah... what was that, Danny?" His mother asked nervously.

"Skulker." The little boy repeated, a bit louder, pointing at the photo. "That's his name. Phantom told me so." Then he giggled. "But you can call him Ghost X. That's funny!"

She shot Vlad a look, but found him staring at Danny instead. She groaned inwardly. "Ever since we got the Portal working, he's even been talking about an imaginary friend of his. Sometimes I think that maybe all this ghost business isn't really good for him."

"Hmm. Maybe so." Vlad agreed, though he seemed distracted.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a tiny yawn and two tiny fists stretching above his head.

Maddie remembered then that it was well past midnight, and a school night. "Oh, what am I thinking." She tutted to herself as she rubbed her face. "It's past your bedtime, Danny! What are you doing up?"

"Too cold, can't sleep."

"Too cold? Nonsense, it's the middle of the summer!"

Danny shook his head, and started shivering, as if to prove his point. "S-see? Too cold." He pouted up at his mother, but she was having none of it.

"Come on now, little man. Time to get you to bed, okay?" She leaned down to pick up the toddler in her arms when Vlad spoke up suddenly.

"Let me, Maddie." He spoke quietly, to avoid disturbing the sleeping Jazz. His knees creaked as he stretched, stiff from sitting in one place for so long.

Maddie hesitated, but gave in easily when she saw Danny's eyes shining eagerly. He held out his arms to Vlad in the universal 'up' gesture.

With a small chuckle, Vlad picked the boy up in one arm, lifting his toy rocket with his free hand and passing it to the eager child. "Keep up that train of thought." He commented to Maddie as he stepped past her. "Who knows how long it'll take to tuck him in, I wouldn't want to keep you waiting."

"If you're sure..." Maddie hummed, watching the two of them as they disappeared up the stairs.

* * *

Tucking the small boy in carefully, Vlad hesitated before sitting on the edge of the bed. The mattress creaked and shifted under his weight as he crossed one leg over the other and leaned backwards, looking down with keen eyes at his little 'nephew'.

"What's this I hear about your new imaginary friend?" He asked innocently.

Danny immediately turned away, looking shy and bashful. "Mom doesn't like it when I talk about him..."

Vlad smiled at the child indulgently. "Well, I don't see her here, do you?"

Danny thought about that for a moment, before looking scandalized. "No!" He whispered enthusiastically.

"So why don't you tell me a bit about your imaginary friend?" He asked. "What does he look like?" Vlad asked patiently.

"He looks like me." The child answered brightly. Vlad appeared taken aback for a moment, before narrowing his eyes in thought.

"And your mother said you started talking about him around the time the portal started working." He breathed.

The child on the bed quickly looked away, flushing red. "No." He argued, shaking his head rapidly, making the fluffy black hair atop his head bounce. He began fiddling with his hands anxiously, looking down at the bedsheets.

It was then that Vlad began to realize this may be more serious then a stray troublemaking ghost. "Daniel," he began cautiously, not wanting to frighten the child into silence. "Would you look at me?"

Very slowly, nervous blue eyes rose up to meet Vlad's serious gaze.

The older man rested a hand gently on Danny's shoulder. "I promise I won't tell your mother, but I want you to tell me a bit more about your imaginary friend." Taking note of Danny's persisting reluctance, he leaned in and smiled conspiratorially. "And then, maybe I can tell you about mine."

Danny's eyes popped open wide at that. " _You_ have an imaginary friend?" He asked.

"Perhaps." Vlad shrugged noncommittally, looking away aloofly.

Realizing that he wasn't going to get any more out of Vlad without being the first to talk, Danny picked up his blanket in his small hands and began playing with a loose threat, watching it carefully. "Promise you won't tell?" He mumbled.

"Of course." Vlad responded placatingly, giving his shoulder a small squeeze.

Danny mumbled something incoherently, causing Vlad to raise one eyebrow.

"Would you repeat that, my boy?" Asked the man in amusement.

"I did something naughty." He mumbled, still hyperfixated on the thread he was unweaving from his blanket.

Vlad hummed in thought. "You're not in trouble." He began carefully. "But tell me, your parents don't know how the Portal started working. But I bet you do."

Danny froze, eyes darting up. He looked like a deer-in-headlights, mouth gaping open. Finally, the toddler gave a tiny nod. "I went into the lab when I wasn't supposed to. Jazz was supposed to be watching me, but she was up in her bedroom. I didn't tell anybody because I – I didn't want to get her in trouble."

"Very noble." Vlad mused.

"What?"

"It means you were very brave, keeping a big secret like that to keep your sister out of trouble."

"Oh."

"Daniel," began Vlad.

"Yes?" Once again those wide blue eyes were looking up at him expectantly, no longer shy or afraid. He had been sure he would be in trouble, but instead, Uncle Vlad had told him he was _brave_.

"How would you like to spend the weekend at my estate?" Looking down at the nervous child, he smiled sweetly. "You could introduce me to this... hm, what was his name?"

"Phantom!" Danny replied enthusiastically, before slapping his hand over his mouth and shooting his eyes to the closed door, remembering that Jazz was sleeping the next room over.

Vlad smiled at him. "Yes. _Phantom_. And I could introduce you to my very own... imaginary friend." He leaned in close to Danny to add in a hushed whisper. "Though, the two of us, we know they aren't really imaginary, don't we?"

Danny's eyes sparkled.


End file.
